New Horizons
by reef17
Summary: Tony's been through this before. He knows how it'll end if he doesn't leave now. Time for things to change. Crossover CSIM NCIS BtVS
1. Chapter 1

Title: New Horisons

Author: reef

Rating: M

Summary: Tony's been through this before. He knows how it'll end if he doesn't leave now. Time for things to change.

WARNINGS: SLASH (mild for now)

A/N: It might not look like it at first but this really is a CSIM fic, it just starts out with an NCIS character.

New Horizons

1

Tony DiNozzo lay back in his seat and let the dull roar and vibration of the engines relax him. He tried not to think about the last couple of days, yet he couldn't help wondering how long it had taken for the rest of the team to notice he was no longer there last night.

Not that they'd care even if they had noticed.' he thought wearily, moving his arm to a more comfortable position.

Would they have cared if he hadn't made it out of that shipping container alive?

Would they have been upset if it had been him on that roof top, instead of Kate? Or if he had died from the plague?

Yesterday morning he would have thought the answer to that question would have been yes. But then yesterday morning he had also thought that he was a valued member of Gibbs' team. He'd been wrong about that, why not the other?

Tony knew how this worked, he'd been through it before in Peoria. If nobody could find fault with the way you did your job, life would be made unbearable until you were so damn sick of it that you up and left of your own accord. And that was just if nobody liked you, it start getting dangerous if someone actually hated you.

It had worked in Peoria too. What was the pointing of staying in job that was made hell for you by your own colleagues. Your own back up.

Your own partner.

The first time his calls for back up had gone unanswered Tony had known it was time to get out. There had been a lot of shit leading up to that day.

At least it hadn't gotten to that in DC. Yet. He was still up in the air as to whether he'd even give them the chance.

Up in the air.' He chuckled lightly to himself. Apt, considering his current location at cruising altitude on his way to Miami.

He opened his eyes to find the sun had started to rise out the port side window.

As Tony cleared the ramp into the hustle and bustle of the airport proper he slowed and looked around. Finding an available payphone in the near vicinity was going to be impossible, and what he really needed was five minutes on a computer with an internet connection.

A bottle of water'd be good too.' He thought, fingering the small prescription bottle in his pocket. His arm was really starting to bother him.

Finding both his needs in one place only a hundred meters up the concourse almost made up for being sideswiped along the way by a heavily made up old lady with a corgi in a cage on a luggage cart.

"Come along Petunia." She had said to the dog, as if it had a choice.

And he could have sworn it was the lady that had growled at him, not the dog.

Ten minutes later he had what he needed. He stepped up to the taxi rank, duffel over his left shoulder, left hand holding his right arm close to his body as a small measure of protection while he waited for the pain meds to kick in. Hopefully by then he'd be in a taxi.

"Knowing my luck, I'll be falling in front of one instead." He mumbled to himself, earning a strange look from the man next to him. As the guy edge slightly away he had the strange urge to start talking about dog ladies and pet Petunias but he just didn't have the strength.

"Miami-Dade Crime Lab, thanks." He said to the cab driver that pulled up beside him.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Title: New Horisons

Author: reef

Rating: M

Summary: Tony's been through this before. He knows how it'll end if he doesn't leave now. Time for things to change.

WARNINGS: SLASH (mild for now)

A/N: It might not look like it at first but this really is a CSIM fic, it just starts out with an NCIS character.

New Horizons

2

A quick tap on the glass door to the trace lab broke Speed's concentration and he was barely able to suppress the growl that he wanted to loose at the unwanted intruder. When he did look up he was glad he had restrained himself. Horatio stood in the door way, a slight smirk on his face, and for some reason Speed had a feeling that his friend and boss new he had held back. Still, his evidence wasn't co-operating and he was still in a bad mood.

"What's up?" Speed asked. Luckily Horatio new his best CSI's moods, sometimes better that the CSI himself knew them.

Taking a step inside the door, the Lieutenant replied, "You had a visitor down at reception."

Some what confused now at this boss' choice of words, Speed continued, "Had? As in, I no longer have a visitor?"

"No, had, as in, he's no longer in reception, he's in one of the victim interview rooms. And it might be slightly difficult for him to talk to you." Horatio was still confusing the hell out of him.

Speed just scowled at Horatio, tempted to really growl this time. Horatio just smiled and turned to go. "Apparently he's been waiting for a while, he fell asleep."

Speed followed Horatio up the hall to the interview rooms looking ahead through the glass walls to find out who his mystery visitor might have been. As soon a s he laid eyes on the short shaggy hair and handsome face he pushed ahead of his boss with a gasped, "Tony!" He rushed into the room and crouched beside the form stretched out on the couch. Knowing that H was the only person near by, he reached out and ran a hand through his friend's soft, spiky hair, quietly call to him.

"Tony. Tony... Tonio, c'mon man, wake up for me." He said, seeing his friend's face scrunch up like a child who didn't want to go to school. Speed smiled warmly as he saw Tony DiNozzo's green eyes blink up at him. "Hey, you alright?"

"Hmmm... I'm... what?" Tony looked around, seeing unfamiliar surroundings and an unfamiliar face. He groaned and tried to bury his face in the couch cushion. He look back up at his friend a moment later, "I can't believe I fell asleep."

The still slightly sleepy man pushed himself into a sitting position and ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up even further. Neither CSI missed the way he favoured using his left hand and held his right in close to his body. Speed glanced a his boss before reaching out toward Tony's right arm. His intention was to rest his hand on the man's shoulder, but Tony flinched away as if he was about to be hit.

"Hey, it's alright, I won't hurt you. You know that." Speed spoke quietly, seeing the confused look on his friend's face clear slightly only to be replaced by a lost, more hopeless look.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry, just... still half asleep I guess." Tony replied without looking up at Speed.

Speed glanced back at his boss again. Horatio clearly saw his friend's request for a few minutes alone and quietly left the room, closing the door behind him. He could see his friend trusted the this visitor and that was enough for him.

"You want to tell me what's going on?" Speed asked, sitting on the couch beside Tony.

"How long have you got?" Tony replied, a humourless half smile showing on is face for an instant.

Speed sighed, knowing he was still on duty and sensing his friend needed more than just the few minutes he had to get the full story across. "Not long enough, I'm sorry..." he paused, "... how about you tell me what this is." He gestured to Tony's arm, where he was obviously hurting in some way.

"Gunshot." Tony said shortly. His good hand unconciously moving up to cover the injury. "Yesterday. That's why I fell asleep, pain meds."

There was silence between the pair for a short while before Speed asked, "Do you somewhere to stay while you're here?"

"I... " Tony's shoulders slumped, as if life was suddenly too heavy to keep going on with. "I hadn't thought that far ahead." He finished.

"Good, you can stay at my place." Tony's head came up at that, but Speed didn't let him speak, "No arguments, we are not finished with this conversation." Speed insisted and didn't mi the slightly relieved look that passed across the agent's face.

Speed looked up, catching Horatio's approach through the glass wall. "Stay here a minute, let me work something out." He stood and caught his boss at the door.

"What's going on Speed?" Horatio asked quickly.

"Something big. I don't know..." He look to his friend inside the interview room still. "He fell asleep because he's on pain meds for a GSW to the arm." At Horatio's questioning look, he continued. "He's an Agent with NCIS."

"NCIS, that's a tough job." Horatio commented.

"He's a tough kid" Speed stated, automatically defending his friend. "Not so much of a kid anymore though." He said, more to himself than his boss.

Horatio looked in at thier unexpected guest, "He's not looking so hot right now, he looks ready to fall asleep again."

"Yeah..." Speed din't know what to do, they were in the middle of a case, not to mention only half way though the shift.

Horatio took pity on his CSI and said, "I'm headed out with Calleigh, Tripp's got a new scene for our homicide. I think Eric's might have something new for your case so why don't you move him to the couch in my office then take him home when you finish up with Eric."

Speed sighed in relief, knowing Tony would be somewhere close. He'd always felt the need to protect the younger man, if he really thought about it, so did every other person that knew Tony well enough. Since they were kids, Tony had always been the one who wanted to protect others but with such a gently heart, sometimes it was Tony himself that need the protection. It seemed that once again, Tony's need to protect had gotten him hurt, and just remembering the hopeless, lost look on his friend's face was enough to kick Speed's protective intincts into overdrive.

A pat on his shoulder brought him back to the present and he saw Horatio smile at him before turning to catch up with Calleigh at the end of the hall.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Title: New Horisons

Author: reef

Rating: M

Summary: Tony's been through this before. He knows how it'll end if he doesn't leave now. Time for things to change.

WARNINGS: SLASH (mild for now)

A/N: It might not look like it at first but this really is a CSIM fic, it just starts out with an NCIS character.

New Horizons

3

If there was one thing that Eric hadn't expected, it was having someone half asleep in the back seat of the Humvee on the way out to check up a new lead in their extortion/kidnapping case. Not that they were actually taking him with them, just dropping him off at Speed's apartment on the way. He looked over at Speed in the passenger seat, he'd seemed on edge since he'd come back to the lab when H had left with Calleigh. Watching him now he could see his attention wasn't on the case. It didn't take a genius to work out where it was either, his rear view mirror had just been hijacked by the scruffy CSI so that he could watch their passenger trying not to fall asleep in the back.

He knew now wasn't the time, but he wanted to know what was going on. Because there had to be something going on, to distract his friend this easily, the man in the back had to be someone to him. Not just anyone, but someone, important. He hoped Speed would eventually let him know what was going on, sure they'd been introduced back at the lab, Eric, Tony. Tony, Eric. We need to drop him off at my place on our way out, in Speed's usual fashion, straight to the point, but nothing given away.

He pulled to curb outside Speed's apartment block and looked over at Speed.

"I'll be back in a minute." Speed said, opening the door.

He met tony on the sidewalk and Eric watched Speed follow his friend up the building's front steps, saw him lift his hand to the man's back before moving in front of him to unlock the door, then they disappeared inside. That gave him something, it was a friendly gesture but not intimate. They were friends, good friends for Speed to be leaving him in his apartment, but nothing more.

Right now. Eric clarified to himself, because there was a familiarity there that was something more than friendship. He saw it in the way Speed had matched the man's tired pace along the pathway to the building and the way the other man trusted Speed to take his back pack from him, the only thing he seemed to have with him, and how Speed held the bag close like it was the other's prized possession and he knew it. Maybe they had once been more, but not right now. Eric new that Speed was bi, that his friend didn't so much worry about the package but the person. It was knowledge he was glad of and had vaguely though about taking advantage of, maybe, one day, when he was more sure of himself. Knowledge that he couldn't afford to be thinking about now as he saw the man in question exit the building and head back toward the hummer.

Back in the vehicle, Eric want to ask a hundred questions but at the same time, he didn't want to push. Speed lay back against the head rest as they pulled back into traffic, he took a deep breath, held it, then suddenly let it out. And it was like changing the channel on the idiot box. The CSI was back, mostly. There was still worry etched in the lines on his face, but he was trying. Speed reached up to straighten the rear view mirror.

"So what do we know about this club? I mean, Harris must have either been breaking in or been taken there against his will to have have left blood in that office. But there was nothing left but papers so I doubt it was a B&E." Speed started, and they were back on track.

By the time they had finished at he club they were three hours into the night shift and had the case mostly wrapped up. They had found their missing witness bound with cable ties to the side of an air conditioning plant on the roof . He was cold and his wrists were cut from the cable ties but otherwise none the worse for wear and, amazingly enough, was even more willing now then before to testify against the man who'd left him up there. Things were so much easier with a co-operative witness. The twenty-six year old homeless man had simply been looking for a job at the club and had seen some things he shouldn't have in the club's office. He had gotten away and called 911 but the manager, their suspect, had eventually caught up with him. They were lucky everything had turned out so well.

And so, with only their reports to finish up, H had told them to head straight home from the scene. After making sure to have a uniform car settle their witness in a nearby shelter, Speed found himself carrying a bag of take-out up to his front door with Eric carrying a six-pack not far behind him. It had become a regular thing over the last year. Once or twice a week and whenever they worked overtime, they ended up at one of their apartments with the closest take out and what ever game or movie was on TV. Tonight they'd ordered for three and Eric hadn't forgotten the mystery man that was currently staying in Speed's apartment.

"He's still asleep." Speed said quietly as he entered the kitchen. Eric put one of the plates he'd gotten out back in the cupboard and served out two lots of food. They took their plates to the living room, both intentionally leaving the bear in the refrigerator. They weren't up for it, not tonight.

They ate in silence, neither paying attention to the game they were pretending to watch. Half an hour later the plates were washed and they were back in the living room, the television was a low murmur and Eric was stretched out on the couch. Speed stood, looking out the large picture window at the cars passing by outside.

"I met Tony the summer before my last year at high school, he was about to start senior high at the same school. My dad was the head chef in the hotel that Tony's father owned in New York. They moved in to the penthouse apartment at the start of that summer and I used to hang around the hotel a fair bit so we started hanging out together." Speed paused, Eric could see him smiling, remembering. He didn't interrupt.

"He used to try and copy all my moves on my skateboard in the park across the road." He laughed quietly, "He caught on quick but I can't remember how many times he skinned his knees. Always got straight back up though, he hated being fussed over."

"Reminds me of someone." Eric said softly with a grin.

Speed have him a so, what? look and kept talking.

"I used to get into fights sometimes with other boys from my year, they thought because I preferred skateboarding or even reading a book by myself to joining their football teams that I was an easy target. I wasn't, but they never learned. Not until that year when Tony stood up beside me. He was already a head taler than me and most of the other boys two years ahead of him, and man, that skateboard, it had so many dings and scratches and dirty marks where he'd bled on it, it looked like a lethal weapon. It was our park that summer. He was out there till all hours most days. He fought a lot with his father."

Speed was silent for a moment before speaking, remembering one of the more spectacular episodes in the DiNozzo family history.

"Near the end of that Summer break dad asked me to run down in the hotel's goods lift to collect a delivery from the ground floor service entry and bring it back up to the level two restaurant. The lift was stopped somewhere between floors and wasn't moving. The other lifts didn't access the goods delivery dock so I had to wait a good ten minutes for the elevator to finally reach the second floor.

"When the doors finally opened I was almost knocked flying by a very red-faced and angry Anthony DiNozzo Sr. I almost yelled at him before I realised who it was and decided that my dad's job was more important. I was still pissed off but when I turned back to get in the elevator I saw Tony crouched down in one corner, almost hyperventilating, his skateboard was on the floor beside him, snapped in half.

"By that time dad had come looking for me. He'd rush over to us but when I looked back at Tony, he was standing up as if nothing had happened. Except he was trying too hard not to breath too heavy and his skateboard was still in two pieces.

"Tony said something to dad about having the elevator stopped. He knew I collected things for him sometimes. I don' think dad was convinced, maybe he'd saw DiNozzo Sr. on his way to find me or he thought Tony and I had had a fight. Either way, he didn't ask and I didn't say."

Speed looked over at Eric, wondering if he had fallen asleep. But he hadn't, he was watching him through half closed eyes, waiting patiently to see if there was more to be told.

"When I finally got Tony to talk he told me that his father was sending him off to some military school for all of senior high. Two weeks later I was back at school and Tony wasn't even in the same state anymore."

There was silence between them for a short time as Eric took everything in and Speed continued to remember.

"You saw him again though." Eric could tell, there too much there for them too have just been friends for one New York summer.

"Yeah, he did." A sleepy voice from behind them answered his question. Eric looked over to see Tony, yawning, leaning against the kitchen counter and for the first time that day there was a smile on Speed's face. Tony shifted a bit where he was but the grin on his face showed that despite what had happened all those years before, the years since had been better.

"Hungry?" Speed asked as he moved toward the kitchen.

"Of course." Tony replied, "Stupid question."

Speed put the left over take-out in the microwave and got out a clean glass for his friend and filling it at the sink, knowing he'd have take more of his pain medication and antibiotics soon enough. The microwave beeped and he shoved the hot box in front of Tony with a fork stuck in it so he could eat with one hand.

"Eat. Then I want to change that bandage." Speed told him.

"It's fi..." Tony started but Speed cut him off.

"No arguments." He said sternly, before grinning and ruffling the injured man's hair.

"Hey." Tony cried half heartedly, fending him off with his fork.

Eric just watched from the couch, thinking the two were more like brothers than anything else he'd been thinking of. Speed looked at him, slightly confused by the grin on the other CSI's face.

TBC


End file.
